Journal of Organizational Change Management

Power of positive words: communication, cognition, and organizational

transformation
Senthil Kumar Muthusamy,
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Senthil Kumar Muthusamy, (2019) "Power of positive words: communication, cognition,
and organizational transformation", Journal of Organizational Change Management, https://
doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-05-2018-0140
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Power of
Power of positive words: positive words
communication, cognition, and
organizational transformation
Senthil Kumar Muthusamy
School of Business, Middle Georgia State University, Macon, Georgia, USA
Received 29 May 2018
Accepted 1 November 2018
Abstract
Purpose – In the extant organizational change literature scant attention has been given to
the communication and cognitive processes consequential to organizational transformation. From the
communication and sense-making perspectives, this study discusses the role of positive communication
involving stories, metaphors or axioms in fostering socio-cognitive routines necessary for organizational
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change. The study further examines the empirical link between positive communication and organizational
transformation with the survey data from professionals who have experienced the organizational
change episode. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach – The study examines the empirical link between the positive
communication and organizational transformation with a survey data collected from 174 management
professionals who have recently experienced the organizational change episodes such as restructuring,
reengineering, TQM adoption or new strategy implementation. With the content analysis of narratives
containing metaphors, axioms and stories, the study unravels the underlying clusters of organizational and
socio-cognitive dimensions associated with organizational transformation.
Findings – The study results affirm the importance of positive communication and its effects on the
emotional buy-in, learning and transformation occurring at the individual level, and attest to
the transformational effect of positive axioms, metaphors or stories on the organization. The study also
revealed that the positive communication diffusing social, cognitive or emotional attributes such as
commitment, trust or optimism produces the desired transformational effect.
Practical implications – It is imperative for managers to understand the relationship between
socio-linguistic processes and cognitive attributes such as trust, commitment and learning. With the help of
right metaphors, stories and axioms that resonate with changing industry conditions, managers can
effectively orchestrate the strategic intent and organizational transformation.
Originality/value – Most studies on the relationship between managerial communication and
organizational transformation are primarily qualitative case studies focusing on the dialectics of
organizational change. This study carries the strong external validity by capturing the connection between
managerial communications and their transformational effect with the help of data collected from the
management professionals across multiple industries.
Keywords Organizational transformation, Sense-making/social construction, Organizational cognition,
Positive communication, Words, Axioms, Metaphors
Paper type Research paper

Introduction
Explaining the systems and processes that trigger organizational transformation is
one of the primary streams of research on organizations (Maitlis and Lawrence, 2007;
Russell and Russell, 1992; Senge, 1990; Weick, 1995). While the extant research literature
has extensively focused on the links between organizational culture, structure and change,
scant attention has been paid to the communication and cognitive processes that are
consequential to realize organizational transformation (Armenakis and Harris, 2009;
Jones et al., 2004; Luscher and Lewis, 2008; Maitlis and Lawrence, 2007; Ocasio et al., 2015;
Weick et al., 2005). Albeit organizational scholars have extensively enunciated that change
agents should certainly employ axioms, metaphors and stories in their organizational
change discourse, very little empirical research is available on how positive managerial Journal of Organizational Change
Management
communication facilitates organizational transformation (Cleary and Packard, 1992; © Emerald Publishing Limited
0953-4814
Küpers, 2013; Morgan, 2006). DOI 10.1108/JOCM-05-2018-0140
 JOCM Within the domain of organization research, the significance of managerial communication
process has been illustrated for a variety of management practices including leadership
(Grisham, 2006), decision making (Griffin, 2006), organization design (Daft and Huber, 1987),
strategy (Foreman and Argenti, 2005; Steyn, 2004), organizational culture (Cameron, 2008;
Ocasio et al., 2015) and organizational transformation (Armenakis and Harris, 2009;
Elving, 2005; Lundberg, 1990). In this paper, by focusing on the link between organizational
change and managerial communication, we explain the role of positive managerial
communication routines in organizational transformation. Also, we demonstrate how the
axioms, stories and metaphors explicate the significant organizational and socio-cognitive
dimensions that underlie organizational transformation.
In the beginning was the “word” professes scriptures. Words have laid the foundation for
all thought systems across the world. Words charged with utmost meaning turn into a
literary work that can stand the test of time. Words manifest in many forms – axioms,
parables, metaphors, stories and hymns – and form the basis of our culture, organizations
and socio-economic-political systems. Religions have spread and political institutions are
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built with the stories and fables of mystical legends and deeds. Words not only connote
the objective phenomena that determine our lives, but also assist in the creation and
enactment of the novel, imaginative or subjective ideals that shape our lives and provide
meaning to our existence. In fact, the very purpose and meaning of the human existence are
often governed by words and the subjective worlds that we construct with words. Words
constitute the cognitive capacity – an important trait of biological order – which
differentiates humans as superior and sentient in comparison to other lives on the planet.
Consistent positive communications shape thoughts, behaviors and help transform
individuals and organizations, and are known to greatly foster progress, change and
success (Armenakis and Harris, 2002, 2009; Elving, 2005; Lewis, 2011; Marshalk, 1993;
Morgan, 2006; Weick et al., 2005).
From the communication and sense-making perspectives, first, we discuss the role of
positive communication in terms of genuine, considerate expression of words, axioms, stories
or metaphors in the functioning of organizations and markets. Second, we narrate how
managerial communication involving positive stories, metaphors or axioms nurtures the
social capital necessary for organizational change by spawning the shared cognitive-linguistic
domains. Further, we examine the empirical link between the positive communication and
organizational transformation by a two-fold analysis of survey data collected from
174 management professionals who have recently undergone the organizational change
episodes such as restructuring, reengineering, TQM adoption or new strategy
implementation. The survey elicited responses on the extent and content of literal and
metaphorical communications echoed by the leaders/managers during the change episode,
and whether these discourses had the transforming effect on the organization in terms of
resolving conflicts, overcoming resistance to change or implementing a new strategy.
With the content analysis of narratives containing metaphors, axioms and stories reported by
the respondents, we unravel the underlying clusters of organizational and socio-cognitive
dimensions associated with organizational transformation and demonstrate how
transformation is manifested through considerate communication of positive words.

The function of words in organizations and markets

Words expand the cognitive and physical spheres of human activity, and can induce the
needs and desires, and thus drive us to seek, design or pursue the products, services or
lifestyles. Take for instance, the subject of “affinity” – we have abundant number of words
to express this principal dimension of human relationship: love, compassion, affection,
kindness, kinship, friendship, motherhood, brotherhood, fraternity, partnership,
companionship and compatriotship; each word, however, takes on a new dimension
 bestowing the foundation for a variety of ideals, values and forms of associations. Several Power of
classical and modern philosophical works have reflected upon how words can help us positive words
imagine and create a world of new institutions and phenomena – be they are subjective or
objective – that give us meaning and happiness (Cornelissen et al., 2015; Luchte, 2007;
Oizerman, 1981). Similarly, organizational scholars have traced how expressive
communications play a central role in the creation, diffusion and change of institutions
that govern collective thoughts, intentions and behaviors (Berger and Luckmann, 1966;
Searle, 1995). Seen in this light, words have potential to create quite distinct thought worlds
and organizational systems and thus can expand our cultural sphere.
Words play a significant role in the creation and sustenance of organizations and
markets (Cornelissen et al., 2015; Morgan, 2006). Positive words carry enormous motive
force and stimulate sublime emotions. Positive words in the form of metaphors and axioms
can help create the shared mindset, articulate the mission and vision and channel the energy
of all members toward the common goals and objectives. A metaphor is the use of figurative
language in communication. For instance, the simple metaphors like “Life is a dance,”
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“Life is a magic” or “Life is an adventure” can stimulate “aesthetic keenness,” “seeking

wonder” or “inclination toward risk-taking,” respectively. Similarly, positive axioms or
sayings can create a magnified emphasis or embellishment effect; like “this idea could
revolutionize everything” or “IPod reinvented an entire industry” (Küpers, 2013;
Wilson, 2011). Positive metaphors or axioms have been found to be more effective in
managerial communication for describing innovations in the absence of concrete
quantitative data to capture the emergent phenomena.
Positive words of wisdom shared in the course of leading, motivating or rewarding can add
substantial value to the performance rewards be it extrinsic or intrinsic and can boost the
inspiration and motivational drive of employees. Stories of sacrifice or cooperation toward a
greater cause can enlighten the stakeholders, and facilitate the cohesiveness and commitment
required for achieving organizational synergy. Most coveted organizational factors which are
considered the pillars of success including trust, integrity, vision and commitment are often a
sheer enactment of positive words of wisdom (Cornelissen, 2005; Hill, 1990; Lewis, 2011;
Muthusamy and White, 2005; Newberg and Waldman, 2012; Pfeffer, 1981).
Figurative and metaphorical communication can be of great help in conceptualizing the
abstract and vibrant changes emerging in the market-place. Markets are quite dynamic with
a constant rendering of complex market segments, novel product configurations and
uncommon patterns of consumer behaviors. Through right metaphors, managers can
provide contextual verbalization required to capture the complex configurations or
emergent outliers. As dynamic industry and market changes are often unobserved or
overlooked, communication charged with provocative axioms and metaphors can play a
critical role in sensitizing the managerial cognition so that the emergent social phenomena
can be effectively captured for managerial analysis and decision making (Muthusamy, 2008;
Newberg and Waldman, 2012; Simon, 1993; Weick et al., 2005).

Theory and hypotheses

Positive communication, cognition and organizational transformation
Explaining the systems and processes that trigger organizational transformation is a
well-established stream of research on organizations (Morgan, 2006; Ocasio et al., 2015;
Senge, 1990; Weick, 1995). Albeit the extant research literature has elaborately discussed the
links between the organizational culture, structure and change, limited empirical research
available on the communication and cognitive processes – how managers articulate and
influence change through positive communication fostering shared socio-cognitive-linguistic
routines (Armenakis and Harris, 2009; Jones et al., 2004; Maitlis and Lawrence, 2007;
Weick et al., 2005). Positive sayings, stories or metaphors can be an effective communication
 JOCM vehicle for implementing organizational change (Holt et al., 2007; Küpers, 2013; Lewis, 2011;
Lewis and Seibold, 1998). From a strategic communication perspective, positive axioms or
metaphors can serve as the information source, a platform to create a sense of community
and an uncertainty reducer, and thus can enhance the organizational readiness for change
(Holt et al., 2007; Lewis and Seibold, 1998; Maitlis and Lawrence, 2007).
From the sense-making perspective, the most fundamental aspect of organizational change
involves altering the extant value and meaning system (Gioia, 1986; Gioia and Chittipeddi,
1991). In this light, the organizational change slogans must make sense or fit into the
cognitive or interpretive scheme and offer a revised conception of the organization (Gioia and
Chittipeddi, 1991). To bring about intended transformation successfully, managers must
continuously engage with the critical stakeholders through sense giving and sense-making to
work out a revised or new negotiated reality of the organization (Berger and Luckmann, 1966;
Gioia and Chittipeddi, 1991). For a successful organizational transformation – because
organizations are socially constructed or negotiated realities – managers should engage as
many employees as possible in the discourse, and articulate the desired collective futures to
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build consensus on envisioned new realities (Cornelissen, 2005; Gergen, 1994; Gioia and
Chittipeddi, 1991). Organizational change through sense-making involves generating positive
sentiments like hope, excitement, inspiration, camaraderie and joy through communication of
positive slogans and stories. Managers can clarify themselves and make their decisions
understandable to stakeholders through positive stories they tell, and members can make
sense of their organizational experience through the stories they share (Cornelissen, 2005;
Gergen, 1994).
Persuasive managerial communication – eloquently articulated in the guise of positive
metaphors, axioms and stories – can help an organization to manage the ambiguity and chaos
in the environment, and enhance the creative learning among its employees (Cornelissen, 2005;
Küpers, 2013; Maitlis and Lawrence, 2007; Morgan, 2006). Metaphors and stories envisage
“imagining a future” that might otherwise be perceived impossible, and facilitate the
stretching of resources toward accomplishing ambitious strategies. Metaphors can help
managers achieve a right balance between man and nature, between private and public good
and between corporate and societal interests. A strategic metaphor – constructed with
carefully chosen words – offers a linguistic bridge between organization’s strategic intent,
values and stakeholders’ emotions.
The creative capacity to solve the complex organizational problems is often constrained
because of managers’ excessive emphasis on rationality and the logic of economic efficiency
(Arthur, 1994; Simon, 1993). In contrast, planning and strategy discourse augmented with
positive communication – in the form of metaphors, stories and axioms – can amplify
the cognitive resources, and complement the creativity and learning (Küpers, 2013;
Morgan, 2006). By promoting the mediums and forums for sharing positive communication
among significant stakeholders, an organization can enrich the cognitive and linguistic
domains of its employees, and thus can generate the cognitive flexibility and variety
required for learning and change (Muthusamy, 2008; Powell, 1992).
How positive metaphors, axioms and stories translate into organizational change and
learning capability has been expounded by several organizational scholars (Morgan, 2006;
Nonaka et al., 2000; Sackmann, 1989). Metaphorical communication can change employees’
thinking, feelings and their construction of reality, and can trigger a perceptual shift and
facilitate organizational transformation (Sackmann, 1989). Because commitment is the
central element of creativity and learning, the metaphorical communication carrying
the cues and signals that cater to personal aspirations will trigger organizational
transformation (Ginsberg, 1994; Lundberg, 1990; Polanyi, 1966). Metaphors and axioms
effectively mediate between a speaker and a listener by verbalizing the affective states.
Metaphors and axioms that articulate one socio-cognitive domain are often projected onto
 another related organizational domain in order to structure the experience in a meaningful Power of
and new way. Accordingly, metaphors and axioms are a way of bridging two dissimilar positive words
domains (Küpers, 2013; Lakoff and Johnson, 1980). Thus, metaphors and axioms can
connect abstract constructs and concrete things (Ortony, 1979) or between the familiar and
the unknown (Merleau-Ponty, 1995; Morgan, 2006; Nonaka et al., 2000).
Like metaphors, stories are a potent literary resource (Cunliffe, 2002) for managers and
leaders and they can function as a dynamic and performative communication instrument
(Küpers, 2013; Mackenzie, 2009). Stories are not only helpful in conveying a message in a
linear fashion but can also manifest as a socially effective reflexive process (Peterson and
Langellier, 2006). Stories diffuse the clarity achieved in one dominion of experience to
another domain that is less orderly and thus carry an inherent capacity to address
ambiguity, uncertainty, complexity and dynamism of individual, group and organizational
phenomena (Weick, 1995). Consequently, stories can serve as a medium for accessing,
capturing and transferring ideas, emotions and tacit knowledge (Küpers, 2013).
Managers involved in organizational change efforts often do not fully appreciate the merits
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and consequences of positive communication routines at the planning meetings (Kotter, 1996).
Articulating the organizational change mission through positive stories and metaphors can
induce visceral emotions of the employees. Lacking emotional involvement, managers will
find it impossible to gain the consensus to rally the entire organization toward transformation.
Change management expert Kotter (1996) asserts that “if you can’t describe your change
initiative in five minutes or less, and have it understood by your audience, you are in for
trouble”. If the strategy or change mission is not communicated in an understandable manner,
change efforts are going to stumble. Employees cannot adopt a change process that is neither
convincing nor communicated to them in an understandable manner (Kotter, 1996).
The South Korean firm Samsung’s transformation journey “from a sluggish domestic
company churning out vast quantities of cheap products to a world’s leading most
innovative global brand in state of art technology products” began two decades ago in a
planning session among the senior managers when its former Chairman Lee Kunhee
pronounced a striking phrase “Change everything except your wife and children.”
This axiom turned into a most powerful transformational slogan metaphorically capturing
the essence of changing all the systems, practices and products without compromising on
the core values. Samsung’s internal documents and industry reports attest that from that
day on, Samsung started its ascent from a second tier manufacturer to a world’s topmost TV
and smartphone maker (Song and Lee, 2014). The transformation that had begun at the
Samsung from that moment onward have provided the impetus to alter the course of entire
Korean business culture paving the foundation for the spawn of several successful global
competitors out of Korea (The Economist, 2011).
Former Chief Executive of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Ramadorai recounts in his
memoir The TCS Story and Beyond, how the organizational change initiative designated
with a campaign slogan “Experience Certainty” reiterated throughout the TCS organization
using bulletin boards, banners, documents, advertisements, telephone rings and computer
jingles, rallied the entire organization around the theme of “certainty.” The “Experience
Certainty” slogan transformed the entire organization in myriad ways and helped TCS
accomplish multiple strategies. From transport chauffeurs to corporate executives were
reminded about how best they could perform their roles toward improving customer service
and brand value. The certainty theme boosted the employee morale and pride, and all
employees in the company felt it was something to live up to anytime and all the time.
Within a few years since the campaign had begun, post-implementation measures indicated
that TCS achieved quite a remarkable progress in employee’s motivation, brand value,
innovation and project execution. TCS did “deliver certainty” in terms of quality and results
outperforming the industry average and major competitors (Ramadorai, 2011).
 JOCM Several case studies affirm that stories, metaphors or axioms have played a significant role
in formulating and implementing corporate, business or alliance strategies (Cornelissen, 2005;
Cacciaguidi-Fahy and Cunningham, 2007; Morgan, 2006; Muthusamy, 2008). For instance, in
one of the most successful transnational alliances – Renault–Nissan joint venture – managers
were able to overcome their cross-cultural differences – right from the pre-alliance process,
structuring the governance to managing for results – through effective use of metaphors
(Cacciaguidi-Fahy and Cunningham, 2007). For instance, “conquest of the inner frontier”
was emphasized to appreciate and learn from each other’s position to transform the routines in
two large complex organizations. Similarly, Renault–Nissan alliance managers reinforced an
image of equality and trust through metaphors and slogans such as “marriage of equals,”
“union of opposites,” “pact of different perspectives,” “working with Japanese/French
partners” and “subtle balance between two partners.” In a recent study of international
joint ventures, Liu et al. (2015) explored how the relational metaphors that describe
organizational relationships are extensively employed to reflect the quality of a cooperative
relationship between international alliance partners and how they further reinforce the
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stability of the strategic alliance.

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M) is an exemplary story of how the
company fostered a culture of innovation and continuous transformation through
communication of inspiring stories, charming metaphors and captivating slogans. 3M
boasts itself as one of the most innovative companies in the world with a claim of more than
50,000 innovations, with over 100 major new product offerings every other year. While
resource allocation and R&D spending at 3M has been exceptional, 3M’s organizational
routines and communication protocols depict another genuine picture of its history of
innovation feats. One of its executive directors recounts, “Stories are a habit of mind at 3M,
and it’s through them – the way they make us see ourselves and our business operations in a
complex, multidimensional forms – that we are able to discover opportunities for strategic
change” (Shaw et al., 1998).
3M has a strong directive for its executives so that idea champions can take ownership of
the product ideas with no interference from the top management. 3M has floated an array of
metaphors and stories to describe the top management’s commitment to new ideas, e.g.,
“the captain bites his tongue until it bleeds.” The executives are referred to as coaches and
mentors rather than bosses. 3M’s value system flaunts sound edicts to protect the
innovative culture. For instance, an “eleventh commandment,” that is, “thou shalt not kill a
new product idea.” Although such an edict may conflict with regular business operations,
3M’s culture assures that the burden of proof is on the top management to stop an idea.
Innovators gain encouragement from the tales of heroes that continue to reinforce the
message, “don’t kill ideas, pursue, failure is OKAY.” There is a conviction spread
throughout 3M that virtually any idea is acceptable and any idea will find its customer
someday. There are several well-liked stories such as how “a failed ribbon material that
became a failed plastic cup which then became a safety face-mask”– which was later
adopted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as a safety standard. 3M
limits the reach of bureaucracy by simplifying the innovation proposals requiring an
abridged narrative that can generate excitement among employees, rather than a list of
measures or objectives (Hill, 2013; Shaw et al., 1998; Peters and Waterman, 2004).
Positive metaphors and meaningful narratives or stories can function as “windows” to
organizational or task identities (Heracleous and Jacobs, 2008), and can be quite
instrumental for generating positive vibrant images about the task roles and creating
fascinating moments within organizations. Consequently, positive metaphors, axioms or
stories can play a vital role in the management of resources, technology and business
operations. For instance, positive words are quite important in the job analysis and job
design. An organization aiming to enhance the productivity, commitment and satisfaction of
 its employees will designate the professions and careers in a manner they will enhance Power of
the dignity, worth and social recognition. The right choice of words will not only stretch the positive words
physical and cognitive dimensions of work, but also will augment the organization’s
intellectual capital necessary for innovation and transformation.
To examine the proposition that the positive communication discourse – involving axioms,
metaphors or stories – deliberated by managers and leaders in the course of organizational
change episode will have a significant transformational effect on the individual and
organization, we have empirically tested the following two hypotheses with data collected
from the professionals who have recently undergone organizational change episode:
H1. The positive communication from the managers and leaders during the organization
change episode will have the transforming effect on the individual.
H2. The positive communication from managers and leaders during the organization
change episode will have the transforming effect on the organization.
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Methods
Data collection
To examine the usage and transforming effect of positive communication involving axioms,
metaphors and stories during the course of organizational change, we conducted an online
questionnaire survey among the management professionals active within a LinkedIn
network. The survey was restricted to participants directly connected to professional
groups in which authors are members. The network included 700 senior, middle-level and
functional-level management or administrative professionals as the target for the survey.
And the targeted professionals belonged to the industries including education, computers
and software, telecommunication, electronics, automotive and non-governmental
organizations and the employee-size of the respondents’ companies ranged from 28 to
305,000 employees. Survey invitation explicitly targeted the members who have experienced
a major organizational change episode in the recent past.
The survey along with a note inviting voluntary participation from those who had
undergone organizational change within past three years at the time of data collection
(2016–2017) was posted on the LinkedIn network portal. Out of 270 potential network
members who read the invitation within four months of the survey published in LinkedIn,
174 usable responses received (a response rate of 64.44 percent out of 270 who read the
survey; a response rate of 24.85 percent out of all 700 members in our LinkedIn network).
All those 174 respondents have indicated that they had undergone major organizational
change or strategy implementation, and the survey responses are specifically connected to
the company, the context of change experienced and the literal positive slogans, metaphors
or stories that respondents have been exposed to.

Measurement
Following the extant literature on communication and organizational transformation, and
the guidelines for building multi-item scales, we have adapted multi-item scales to
measure the usage and influence of positive words, metaphors and axioms on the
individual and organizational transformation (Cameron, 2008; Kotter, 1996; Maitlis and
Lawrence, 2007). Before administering the survey, face validity of the selected
variables were assessed by testing the survey instrument with two business school
faculty members, and the questionnaire was pilot tested with 15 potential respondents
from the LinkedIn group. Based on the pilot testing, questionnaire items were further
refined. With 174 final usable responses, factor analysis, correlation analysis and
reliability analysis were performed to test and evaluate the measurement-related validity
 JOCM (Cronbach, 1970; Nunnally and Bernstein, 1994). Details of measures, their reliability and
measurement validity are presented in Tables I and II.
We measured the extent of positive communication received by the respondents
from their managers and leaders with three-item scale ranging from 1 to 5. We captured the
transformational effect of positive words, sayings or axioms on individual and organization
transformation with two sets of three-item measure with scales ranging from 1 to 5.

Measurement items on scales ranging from 1 to 5 Cronbach’s α

Extent of positive communication (positive sayings/metaphors/stories) from managers and 0.89

leaders during the organization change episode
(1) My managers and leaders communicated positive axioms, metaphors or stories
(2) My managers and leaders shared positive slogans or sayings with fellow employees
during the change episode
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(3) Our organizational leaders and managers articulated change through positive slogans
or maxims
Transformational effect of positive communication on the individual (as perceived 0.88
by the respondent)
(1) I have been personally influenced by the words of wisdom shared by our managers
(2) My aspirations and routines were influenced by the positive words/axioms
(3) I have been personally transformed by the positive words or axioms or stories
deliberated in the workplace
Transformational effect of positive communication on the organization (as perceived 0.96
by the respondent)
(1) The positive communications such as axioms, metaphors or slogans played a significant
role in organizational transformation or implementing new strategy
(2) The positive slogans or phrases or sayings substantially helped our organization to
Table I. overcome the conflicts, turf-wars or dysfunctional behaviors
Measurement items (3) The positive slogans or sayings shared among the employees greatly helped our
and reliability organization to overcome the resistance to change
(Cronbach’s α) Note: n ¼ 174

Rotated component matrix (n ¼ 174)

Component
Measurement items 1 2 3

(1) My managers and leaders communicated positive axioms, metaphors or stories 0.271 0.857 0.257
(2) My managers and leaders shared positive slogans or sayings with fellow employees
during the change episode 0.297 0.830 0.221
(3) Our organizational leaders and managers articulated change through positive
slogans or maxims 0.196 0.836 0.266
(4) I have been personally influenced by the words of wisdom shared by our managers 0.263 0.357 0.788
(5) My aspirations and routines were influenced by the positive words/axioms 0.130 0.128 0.859
(6) I have been personally transformed by the positive words or axioms or stories
deliberated in the workplace 0.242 0.314 0.845
(7) The positive communications such as axioms, metaphors or slogans played a
significant role in organizational transformation or implementing new strategy 0.931 0.245 0.211
(8) The positive slogans or phrases or sayings substantially helped our organization to
Table II.
Factor analysis overcome the conflicts, turf-wars or dysfunctional behaviors 0.936 0.244 0.216
(principal components (9) The positive slogans or sayings shared among the employees greatly helped our
extraction with organization to overcome the resistance to change 0.909 0.285 0.208
varimax rotation) Notes: Extraction method: principal component analysis; Rotation method: varimax with Kaiser Normalization
 The inter-item correlations (Cronbach’s α) for each measure was higher than 0.70 and Power of
principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation revealed that items loaded onto positive words
the corresponding measures (0.70 and above) confirming measurement validity.

Analysis and findings

We examined the connections between positive communication and organizational
transformation by a two-fold data analysis. First, with the word-content analysis of
narratives –containing metaphors, axioms and stories – that respondents’ reported, we
identified the underlying clusters of socio-cognitive and emotional attributes (e.g. trust,
commitment, teamwork and optimism) complementing the organization transformation, and
demonstrated how positive communication manifests into organization transformation
through socio-cognitive and emotional dimensions. Subsequently, based on the survey
responses, we tested the empirical relationship between the positive managerial
communication and its transformational effect on the individual and organization.
The questionnaire survey invited the respondents to share the narratives and frequently
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repeated phrases by their managers and leaders in their discourse within the context of
organizational change episode or new strategy implementation. The survey elicited 223
narrative statements in reference to organizational transformation that included new strategic
intent, axioms reinforcing collective aspirations such as teamwork, hard work, commitment,
quality or service, entrepreneurial dreams or foresight and business slogans emphasizing
organizational change, strategy or results. These narratives also contained axioms or sayings
which have had the transforming effect on the respondents (personally) including
motivational slogans emphasizing trust, compassion, hope, hard work, commitment, rights
and perseverance. The researcher along with another business school faculty coded these
statements to identify the organizational, cognitive and social dimensions represented in the
narratives. With 96 percent inter-rater correlation (reliability), 36 variables under five broad
categories, namely, political, change, goals, strategy/mission/vision and ethical values were
identified. The frequency counts of these 36 variables (446 counts) are provided in Table III.
With the help of QDA Miner (data mining and word analysis software), we examined the
variables co-occurring along with other variables representing related segments. QDA Miner
provides tools to assist in the coding of descriptive statements and conduct a comparative and
exploratory analysis of codes and words from the descriptive statements. With these tools, we
can identify regularities, patterns and clusters to uncover hidden relationships between codes
and words (Wordstat, 2014; Provalis Software). The analysis revealed the codes co-occurring in
proximity to significant organizational, social or cognitive attributes: e.g., change, commitment,
productivity, trust and optimism. Table IV reports the top 5 variables co-occurring with each of
these attributes. Table V reports the words most frequently found in the respondents’ narrative
statements and the number of cases they represented. Figure 1 presents the number of words in
all the narrative statements corresponding to coded variables.
Based on the data of frequency, co-occurrences and proximity of these 36 variables to each
other from the 223 narrative statements, we performed a cluster analysis using QDA Miner
software to identify the underlying organizational, social and cognitive dimensions and the
relations among them as reflected in the statements (Wordstat 7, 2014). These clusters are
based on co-occurrences of codes within each of the statement as well as overlapping
segments. QDA Miner identifies the clusters based on similarity index that measure the ratio
of number of cases where two items occur in each segment and the number of cases where one
item is found not the other (Such as Jaccards’s coefficient: this is calculated from a four-fold
table as a/(a+b+c), where a represents cases where both items occur, and b and c represent
cases where one item is found but not the other or Sorensen’s coefficient: 2a/(2a+b+c),
with matches weighted double, where a represents cases where two items occur,
and b and c represent cases where one item is present but the other one is absent).
 JOCM Category Variables (codes) from respondents’ narratives Count % of occurrence

Change Proactive/Change 28 6.20

Learning 23 5.10
Courage 14 3.10
Risk Taking 9 2.00
Long-term/Futuristic 9 2.00
Creativity 5 1.10
Goals Commitment 33 7.30
Hope/optimism 33 7.30
Hard work 31 6.80
Productivity/Efficiency 25 5.50
Competence 16 3.50
Timely 13 2.90
Unity 9 2.00
Quality 9 2.00
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Service 6 1.30
Information/Knowledge 3 0.70
Incentive 1 0.20
Strategy/Vision Results 54 11.90
Trust 18 4.00
Teamwork 12 2.60
Customer Driven 11 2.40
Challenge 11 2.40
Discipline 10 2.20
Leadership/Eloquence 9 2.00
Pride 9 2.00
Empowerment 3 0.70
Ethics Truthful/Honesty 13 2.90
Love/Compassion 11 2.40
Equality 6 1.30
Justice 4 0.90
Table III. Austerity 4 0.90
Variables reflected by Social Responsibility 3 0.70
the respondents’ Political Individual Rights/Liberty 3 0.70
narratives (axioms & Patriotism 2 0.40
metaphors) Progressive 2 0.40

Analysis of co-occurrence of coded variables revealed that 10 clusters are prominent out
of 36 variables (organizational, social, cognitive and emotional dimensions) identified
from 223 statements. A 2-Dimensional image of cluster mapping of the 36 variables is
presented in Figure 2.
The following section reports the results of empirical analysis examining the effects of
positive sayings or axioms on the individual and organizational transformation. A
correlation analysis was performed to check the extent of associations among the variables
of the study. Table VI reports mean, standard deviation and correlation among the
variables. Correlation analysis revealed that the study variables of interest the
“transforming effect of positive communication on the individual,” the “transforming
effect of positive communication on the organization” and the “extent of positive
communication from the managers and leaders during the organization change episode” are
significantly correlated (p o0.001). As study variables had strong correlations with each
other, we assessed the degree of multi-collinearity through the computation of tolerance
value and its inverse – variance inflation factor (VIF). The tolerance levels were well above
the 0.10 cutoff and the VIFs were much below the 10 cutoff for all the predictor variables
indicating there is no multi-collinearity.
 Organizational/Individual attributes Variables in proximity Co-occurrence counts
Power of
positive words
Change Hard work 4
Optimism/Hope 4
Results 5
Creativity 2
Long-term/Futuristic 2
Commitment Hard work 9
Results 8
Optimism/Hope 5
Courage 3
Learning 3
Productivity Results 5
Learning 5
Timely 3
Knowledge 2
Service 2
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Trust Love/Compassion 5
Leadership 2
Teamwork 2
Commitment 2
Equality 1 Table IV.
Hope/Optimism Results 13 Top 5 variables in
Hard work 5 proximity with
Commitment 5 significant
Courage 4 organizational, social
Change 4 or cognitive attributes

Most frequent words Frequency % of all words in narratives No. of cases % of cases

Change 37 9.71 28 6.17

Life 35 9.19 31 6.83
Work 31 8.14 28 6.17
Time 28 7.35 20 4.41
Things 24 6.30 21 4.63
People 21 5.51 19 4.19
Good 18 4.72 16 3.52
Success 17 4.46 17 3.74
Hard work 15 3.94 15 3.30
Strength 14 3.67 14 3.08
World 14 3.67 14 3.08
Love 14 3.67 13 2.86
Man 14 3.67 11 2.42
Build 14 3.67 11 2.42
Tough 14 3.67 7 1.54
Make 13 3.41 13 2.86 Table V.
Live 13 3.41 9 1.98 Words most
Makes 12 3.15 12 2.64 frequently found in
Goal 12 3.15 6 1.32 the respondents’
Trust 11 2.89 11 2.42 narratives

We examined the survey data using multivariate regression analysis and tested the
empirical relationships between “the extent of positive communication from the
managers and leaders during the organization change episode” and “the transforming
effect of positive communication on the individual” (H1), and “the transforming
effect of positive communication on the organization” (H2). Regression models
 JOCM Results

Hope/optimism

Trust

Commitment

Love/Compassion

Truthful/Honesty

Discipline

Long-term/Futuristic

Austerity
Items

Pride

Creativity

Social Responsibility
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Teamwork

Empowerment

Customer Driven

Figure 1. Information/Knowledge
The number of words Quality
in the respondents’
narratives Patriotism
corresponding to
0 52 104 156 208 260 312 364 416 468
coded variables
Number of words

controlled for the age and educational levels of the respondents, and what extent the
respondent believed positive communication matters in life. These variables were
introduced in the regression to account for self-reporting bias and social desirability
bias arising out of age, education and personal conviction toward passionate and
emotive communication.
Table VII reports the results of regression models. Model 1 is significant (with F ¼ 31.95,
Adj. R2 ¼ 0.42) and revealed that “the extent of positive communication from the managers
and leaders” is significantly related to “the transforming effect on the individual” (β ¼ 0.59,
p o0.001). Similarly, Model 2 is significant (with F ¼ 23.36, Adj. R2 ¼ 0.34) revealing that
“the extent of positive communication from the managers and leaders” is significantly
related to “the transforming effect on the organization” (β ¼ 0.57, p o0.001). Both Models 1
and 2 establish that the positive communications by the managers and leaders had the
significant transformational effect on the individual and organization. Thus, the managerial
communication in the form of positive metaphors, axioms, stories and slogans can have
beneficial effects on the employee inspiration, motivation, shared organizational cognition
and learning and help realize the envisioned organization transformation through
overcoming the resistance to change, resolving the conflicts and the successful
implementation of new strategies.

Conclusion
By combining perspectives from the communication and organization sense-making
literature, we offer new insights into the positive communication process and its
transformational effect on the individual and organization. We comprehensively examined
the positive managerial communication, its cognitive interface and effects on individual and
organizational transformation using both qualitative and quantitative data. Specifically, we
illustrate the significance of positive dialogue among managers, leaders and employees by
 Power of
positive words
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Figure 2.
Ten-dimension cluster
structure of frequency
of codes and their co-
occurrences (based on
the narratives of
positive
communication)
 JOCM Variables Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5

(1) Transforming Effect of positive

communication on the individual 2.96 1.03 1.00
(2) Transforming Effect of positive
communication on the organization 1.84 0.91 0.51 1.00
(3) Extent positive communication from
the managers and leaders (as reported
by respondent) 3.14 1.15 0.62 0.58 1.00
(4) Extent positive communication matters in
life (as reported by the respondent) 3.49 1.14 0.23 0.12 0.07 1.00
(5) Age range of the respondent 2.76 (31–40) 1.243 −0.14 −0.08 −0.06 −0.02 1.00
(6) Educational level of the respondent 2.98 (College) 0.745 0.04 0.05 0.00 −0.22 0.07 1.00
Notes: n ¼ 174. Respondent age categories – 1: between 20 and 30; 2: between 31 and 40; 3: between 41 and
Table VI. 50; 4: between 51 and 60; 5: above 60. Respondent education levels – 1: High School Diploma; 2: College
Descriptive statistics Education; 3: Masters or Graduate level; 4: Doctorate or Professional training. All correlations above 0.23 are
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and correlations significant at p o0.01 (two-tailed test)

Dependent variables
Transforming effect on the Transforming effect on the
individual (Model 1) organization (Model 2)
Variables β β

Age of respondent −0.10 −0.05

Educational level of respondent 0.09 0.08
Extent positive communication matters in life
(as reported by the respondent) 0.20** 0.09
Extent of positive communications from
Table VII. the managers and leaders (as reported
Regression analysis of
by the respondent) 0.59***(H1) 0.57***(H2)
transformational effect 2
of positive R 0.43 0.35
2
communication on Adjusted R 0.42 0.34
individual and F 31.95 23.36***
organization Notes: n ¼ 174. Table reports standardized β coefficients. **p o0.01; ***p o0.001 (based on two-tailed test)

empirically examining the responses from the professional employees who have recently
undergone organizational change episodes such as restructuring, reengineering, TQM
adoption or new strategy implementation. The study results affirm the importance of
positive communication and its effects on the emotional buy-in, learning and transformation
occurring at the individual level, and attest to the transformational effect of positive axioms,
metaphors or stories on the organization.
With survey data, respondents’ comments and empirical examination of the usage
and influence of positive words with text analysis, cluster analysis and regression
statistics, we find that the positive slogans, metaphors or axioms are extensively used,
and their use in the managerial discourse has transformational effect on the individual
and organization. Through the survey, respondents shared several positives stories,
axioms and metaphors echoed across their organizations that have influenced both
individual and organizational changes. And they shared their opinions upon, why the
positive communication mattered and how it prompted the individual and
organizational transformation.
 Following are selected examples of axioms or metaphors from the narratives that have Power of
been deliberated by the leaders and managers which had profound influence on the positive words
corresponding respondent’s organization: “Experience Certainty” (of Tata Consulting
Service), “Find your greatness,” “Failure is not an option,” “Shopper victor” (Virgin Group),
“Most unhappy customers are our greatest source of learning,” “I believe you have to be
willing to be misunderstood if you’re going to innovate,” “It always seems impossible until it
is done” (Nelson Mandela), “Arise, awake and stop not until the goal is reached” (Swami
Vivekananda), “The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress,”
“Your brand is your culture” (Tony Heisch of Zappos), “If not I, who? if not now, when?,”
“quality is not an act, it is a habit,” “what does not kill you makes you stronger” (Nietzsche),
“good lives are made so by discipline,” “act justly, love mercifully, and walk humbly with
your God,” “do it now; often ‘later’ becomes ‘never’,” “success is never accidental,” “you can’t
delegate the growth or customer satisfaction,” “if you don’t have trust inside your company,
then you can’t transfer it to your customers,” “there is no substitute for hard work,”
“knowing is not enough, we must apply; being willing is not enough, we must do,” “right will
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always eventually triumph,” “not of the letter but of the spirit; for the letter kills, but the
spirit gives life” and “do ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
Respondents also pointed out the rationale for why slogans and axioms have had the
positive impact during the transformation journey. The positive words: “a source of
motivation and inspiration; they help rally the employees toward company mission; a positive
reinforcement and feedback; a mentor, and influencing and clarifying their thoughts, helping
to prioritize and screen the important from unimportant.” For some respondents, positive
axioms have served as stress reducers, and have boosted their self-esteem and confidence.
Survey also revealed that many respondents thought well-articulated axioms or slogans
translated into a strong organizational culture and fostered a right climate for strategy
implementation. More than 50 percent of the survey respondents reported having witnessed a
high usage of positive words or axioms in their organization.
In addition to establishing the empirical connection between exposure to positive
communication and the organization transformation witnessed, we collected the narratives of
axioms, stories and metaphors exchanged during the change episode and further explored the
organizational and socio-cognitive dimensions underlying the narratives. By coding the
narrative statements from the diverse respondents employed in different industries, and
examining their frequencies and co-occurrences, this study revealed the variables related to
emotional and socio-cognitive dimensions of transformation. For instance, the analysis of
proximity of variables based on their co-occurrences in all the narratives that we examined,
the dimension “Change” was connected to “Hard work,” “Optimism,” “Results,” “Creativity”
and “Futurism”; the dimension “Commitment” was associated with “Hard work,” “Results,”
“Optimism,” “Courage” and “Learning”; and the “Trust” was associated with “Love,”
“Leadership,” “Teamwork,” “Commitment” and “Equality.” These associations reveal how the
positive communication diffusing social, cognitive or emotional attributes such as
commitment, trust, optimism, courage or compassion can produce the desired
transformational effect on the individual and organization. By revealing the underlying
common attributes of positive communication, our study reflects the thought world of
managers and unravels the socio-cognitive and linguistic patterns of learning and change that
are prevalent among management professionals.
Given the significance of shared cognition for creativity, learning, trust and
commitment, managers need to employ relevant jargons and verbal protocols
emphasizing teamwork, collaboration and collective future, and build communication
channels that facilitate knowledge sharing (Cornelissen, 2005; Luscher and Lewis, 2008;
Muthusamy, 2008). Nurturing a climate of dialogue and discourse with the intent of
learning is essential for building the organizational capacity to innovate and change.
 JOCM Dialogue will provide the opportunity for employees, customers and other
significant stakeholders to share their narratives. Genuine dialogue broadens the
perspectives and engenders a kaleidoscopic array of new ideas (Muthusamy, 2008).
Several knowledge-era firms including Google, Apple, Cisco, Samsung and Motorola have
formed organization-wide knowledge ecosystems to unite employees, suppliers and
distributors into an intellectual learning community.
Some broad suggestions can be drawn about how to build advantage by employing the
positive communication during the change episode. It is imperative for managers to
understand the relationship between socio-linguistic processes (e.g. framing, structuring,
story-telling, social rituals and protocols) and organizational and cognitive attributes such
as trust, commitment and learning. This awareness will help managers diagnose the
organizational climate factors that nurture (or that stifle) the creation of new insights and
knowledge. Managers and leaders should employ collaborative and consensus-building
socio-linguistic jargons and frames of reference to help employees find creative
solutions and reconcile differences. Sharing positive communication is central to the
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creation, sustenance and achieving organizational transformation. Thus, the process of

creating, acquiring, articulating, sharing inspiration and knowledge through positive
maxims and metaphors is a core organizational capability for modern management.
If managers and leaders enact the words they articulate, organizations can realize the
mission and goals that seem impossible.
Organizations need to build a repertoire of positive words, stories and metaphors that
inspire, orchestrate excellence and ethical wisdom. With the help of right metaphors and
axioms that resonate with changing industry conditions, managers can effectively
orchestrate the strategic intent and business models. Managers need to ensure that the
stories and metaphors address the prowess and commitment expected, and the norms that
need to be cherished. Although it is important to share the legendary words of wisdom
distilled from history, mythology and industry, organizations should consider including the
deeds and feats of their own employees and significant stakeholders in the stories they
disseminate. Another research extension that would be relevant for managerial practice
will be examining the role of visual communication in organizational transformation.
Like metaphors, visual symbols and images may have the power to stimulate learning and
change. Visual images and symbols can complement the positive metaphors in triggering
the organizational transformation (Lester, 2013).
Despite the emphasis on the significance of cognitive and communication processes in
influencing change in organizations, very few empirical studies exist on this topic. Extant
studies on the relationship between managerial communication and organizational
transformation are primarily single-organization based qualitative case studies focusing on
the dialectics of organizational change (Gioia and Chittipeddi, 1991; Luscher and Lewis,
2008). This study, although not longitudinal, carries the strong external validity by
capturing the connection between managerial communications and their transformational
effect on organizations with the help of data collected from the management professionals
across multiple industries.
There are some limitations to our study. Although we have captured the agglomerative
effect of positive communication received by the respondent from the respective managers
and leaders, this study is generic, cross-sectional and did not include objective measures of
transformation, nor measured the transformation from multiple respondents within each
respondent organization. Due to privacy and confidentiality restrictions placed on the
survey, we could not ask the respondent to reveal the details of their bosses or top-level
manager(s) associated with the change episode. Another limitation of the study is that we
did not capture any time-bound, longitudinal, or pre- and post-communication measures of
transformation. Longitudinal studies on positive communication will offer new research
 extensions to help us learn the finer nuances of the communication and the associated Power of
cognitive dynamics of change. positive words
Because the data were collected from the respondents who had directly experienced
organization change episode, there is a potential problem of common method variance
(Campbell and Fiske, 1959) and related concerns of consistency motif and the social
desirability bias (Podsakoff and Organ, 1986). We tested the data for common method
variance using Harman’s (1967) single-factor test, a post hoc test and the results revealed no
single or general factor suggesting that there was no systematic variance common among the
measures. Also, we controlled for possible self-reporting bias on the results with a control
variable in the regression about the respondent’s belief about the significance of positive
communication. We believe the anonymity and confidentiality maintained throughout the
study also reduced the effects of social desirability bias (Podsakoff and Organ, 1986).

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Corresponding author
Senthil Kumar Muthusamy can be contacted at: senthil4strategy@gmail.com
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